Seal-lock.



. Patented Oct. 28, |9021' E. TYDEN.

SEAL LUCK.

(Application led. Mar. 15, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL TYDEN, OF HASTINGS, MICHIGAN.

SEAL-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No."712,021, dated October 28, 1902.

Application filed March 15.11901. Serial No.' 51,269. (No model.)`

To all whom t muy concern.-

Be it known that I, EMIL TYDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at'Hastings, in the county of Barry and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locksof which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved lock or locking device adapted to be sealed, the seal-operating part of such locking device being preferably such that'it may be applied in a great Variety of situations and in connection with a great variety of locks or bolts. It is specically adapted or designed for use in sealing railway-cars and in the drawings is shown as applied to the common form of hasp, staple, and bolt locking device, such as is used inV securing the sliding doors of railway-cars.

The invention consists in the features of construction set out in the claims.

Figure l is a front elevation of a portion of the side of a car and car-door havinga hasp, staple, and bolt locking device provided with my sealing attachment and seal. Fig. 2 is a section at the line 2 2 on Fig. l. Fig.A 3 is a section at the line 3 3 on Fig. 2. Figli. is an elevation of the seal employed with my lock. Fig. 5 is a section at the line 5 on Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 are sections similar to Fig. 5, showing a slightly-modified construction of the seal at the points at which section is made. Fig. 8 is a section at the line 8 8 on Fig. 4. Fig. 9 is a section at the line 9 9 on Fig. l. Fig. l0 is a plan of a steel disk form ing a lining-plate for the pawl-chamber, Fig. ll is a plan of a blank of a peripheral steel lining-plate, which is sprung into the pawl chamber.

A represents the side of the car; A', the sliding door; A2, the stop against which the door closes.

B is the staple-plate, mounted on the stop A2, having the staple B rigid with it.

C is the hasp, secured to the door inthe usual manner and adapted to close over theI staple and be secured by the bolt B2.

D is a casing, which contains the devices for operating the seal. As shown, it is mounted upon the outer side of the car-wall, being secured by bolts d (l, having nuts at the inner side, so that the casing cannot be detached'from the exterior without the use of ltools to cut the bolts. l

D'. is a back plate, which closes the chainber of the casing at thefside nexty the carwall, said back .plate being stopped on a small shoulder formed by rabbeting the case at d.

E is a rotary element in the case D. arranged to be inserted into the case from the forward side, being reduced in diameter at the inner end E, so that it passes through and obtains bearing in the plate D; but at the outer part it has an annular shoulder E', which fits and obtains bearing in the outer end of the case D, against which said element E is stopped by a flange E2, which abuts fiat on the end of the r:ase D and completely prevents access to the latter at the bearing therein of said element E. At the outer end the element E has formed rigidly and, preferably, integrally with it a radially-projecting arm E3, which terminates in a hook E30, such hook projecting in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the element E and substantially at right angles to the general trend of the said arm E3 and in that plane being made to trend slightly obliquely forward from the plane of rotation of the arm E3, as seen in Fig. 2L The element E has a second rigid arm E31, projecting substantially at right angles to the-arm Es and constituting a handle Itis u for operating the element E, said arm Esl being weighted, as seen at esl, for a purpose hereinafter explained. The reduced end E4 of the element E, which projects through its bearing in the plate D', is secured by means of 'a cotter-pin E6, passed through it outside `when the latter is in locked position-that is,

lodged about the staple and secured by the bolt-that the seal M, made of sheet metal and provided with two eyes M M at the op "a washer E5, and thereby the flange E2 is held IOO posite ends, respectively, may be engaged by the two hooks C' and E30, the engagement being elected with the hook of the hasp before it is lodged on the staple and with the hook E311 before the arm E3 is brought to the upstanding position shown in Fig. l. The lodgment of the hasp C over the staple in locking position and the falling of the arm E31, due to its weight, into the horizontal position shown in Fig. l, tending to bring the arm E3 into the upright position shown, draws both hooks through the eyes into position from which disengagement is impossible without reversing the element E-that is, rocking it backward to carry the arm E3 to the right from the position in which it appears in Fig. l and at the same time withdrawing the hasp C from the staple. It will be seen, therefore, that if means is provided for preventing the reverse rotation of the element E from the position shown in Eig. l, at which the hook E30 is fully engaged with the eye of the seal, it will be impossible to remove the seal without breaking it, and since it will be impossible to open the door A without irst withdrawing the hasp free from the staple and then withdrawing the staple endwise with the door by moving the latter to the right it will be impossible to open the door without rupturing the seal. In order to prevent the reverse rotation of the element E, and thereby render it impossible to open the car-door without rupturing the seal, I provide within the casing D the dog or pawl F, pivoted so as to lodge by gravity upon the upper side of the element E, said element having a notch at e, forming an abrupt shoulder by which the dog engages said element to prevent its reverse rotation. In order conveniently to pivot the dog F in the casing, an interior lug D2 is provided at the rear side, the dog being inserted between the lug and the forward wall, the pivotpin F2 being passed through said lug, which is bored for that purpose, and through the dog into the socket cl2, bored for it in the front Wall of the casing, and the back plate D being afterward inserted secures the parts in position, as shown in Fig. 2. A plate H, made of spring-steel, is inserted as a lining for the front wall of the casing, so that it will be 4practically impossible to reach the dog F by drilling through the front in order to manipulate the dog. The form of this plate is seen in Fig. l0, the gap H permitting it to be gotten past the lug D2 and said gap and the notch H2 adapting it to be gotten into place between the lugs d4 (Z1 and the front wall, after which it is turned to bring the circular openings H3 and H4 into position for the element E and the pivot-pin F2, respectively. In order to guard said pivot-pin from attack from the exterior, I lodge in front of it in the socket d2 the hard-steel disk h before the pivot-pin is inserted. I In order to prevent reaching the pawl by drilling in from the periphery of the case, I lodge within the latter a spring-steel lining J, made up from a blank of spring-steel, (shown in Fig. 11,) which may be coiled within the case and secured in proper position by engaging at one edge with the lugs d4 d1, which also serve to retain the plate H. Notches J' J are provided for engagement with said lugs, and the notch J2 at the opposite side accommodates the lug D2. Still further to increase the difficulty of Inanipulating the dog by any implement which might be introduced through the case in any direction I make the dog not in a single piece, but, in fact, as a plurality of dogs, each of thin steel plate, as seen in Fig. 2, each being hung loosely upon the pivot and adapted to move independently, (except as they may affect each other by lateral friction,) so that in order to effectively release the element E to permit it to be reversed all of the separate dogs F F F', 85e., making up the compound dog F must be lifted at the same time, anyone of them remaining unlifted being sufficient to prevent the reversion of the element E. These dogs F being, if desired, of hardened steel will resist drilling, which might be attempted in order to lift them all together by a wire thrust through them. One of the dogs or plates making up the complete dog F may be lnade a little shorter than the remainder, as the plate or dogfis shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The purpose of this is to cause that dog to become engaged with the element E a little beforetheotherdogdropsintothenotch. The purpose of this is to prevent collusion between the person who may be charged with the duty of sealing the car and any confederate who might be designing to obtain access thereto, the sealer in that case taking pains to avoid throwing the arm E31 over to horizontal position, but throwing it far enough so that the seal will apparently be in proper position on both hooks, the slack or play in the eyes of the seal permitting this to be done without actually getting the element E in position to be fully locked by the dogs of full length. By Wedging the arm E31 in this position, as might readily be done with a chip or piece of paper, it might escape attention until the confederate had opportunity to reverse it and gain access to the car without destroying the seal. The short dog f, however, is designed to be enough shorter than the remainder, so that. in order to be arrested at a position whichwould prevent that dog from dropping into the notch and engaging the shoulderethe seal would have to be bent or sprung forward and distorted and the position of the arms E3 and E31 would be so manifestly incorrect as to attract attention at a glance.

In order to make it'as difficult as possible to cut the seal at the eyes so as to release it and resecure it in a manner to avoid detection by casual scrutiny, I fortify each of the eyes M M by a steel ring m, about which IOO IIO

the metal of the seal is folded, as seen in Fig. 5. f This is not absolutely essential, but I consider it a very efficient protection against the method of tampering with the device, which would consist of clipping the seal at the eye, so as to release it from the hook. The eye may, however, be made as shown in Fig. 6, showing the'sheet metal at the margin of the eye, being merely rolled to form a hollow bead M10 around. the eye or struck np in the form of a V-shaped bead, also hollowthat is, concave on one side-as shown in Fig. 7. Any attempt toclip the eye through either of these hollow beads will so crush the bead -as to make the interference obvious at a glance, and even after clipping has been done the lateral bending of the seal, which would be necessary to disengage the eye from the hook, will be almost certain to break the bead at a point other than that at which it is clipped, making the interference still more apparent.

In order to insure the seal breaking readily and at a proper point, so as not to mutilate the eyes, but leave them in condition to be readily inspected afterward if necessary to determine whether they have been tampered with, I make it in the form shown, being a segment of an annulus in shape, and weaken it at the middle point of the inner curve, as by the aperture m extending nearly to the edge, so that when a rupture is made either by sliding the door or by rotating the element E to carry the hook E30 to the left, (which may be done by means of the arm 1531,) it will break transversely substantially at the line 8 8 on Fig. 4-that is, through theaperturem. In order that the seal may retain its form until forcibly ruptured, it is preferable to emboss it or strike it up throughout the middle portion of its length-that is, between the eyes--as shown at'M4 in Figs. 4 and 8.

I claiml. In a seal-lock, in combination with a locking element having a seal-engaging feature, a second element having also a seal-engaging feature, and a seal adapted to be received by said features respectively; one of the seal-engaging elements having a range of movement from its seal-receiving position to a seal-retaining position; automatic means for moving it from seal-receiving to seal-retaining position; and automatic means for locking it at the latter position against reverse movement.

2. In a locking device, in combination with a seal adapted to be engaged at two points, two elements mounted respectively on the two parts or things which are to be secured against separation by the locking device; said ele-- ments having respectively features for engaging the seal at said two points respectively; one of said elements being rotatable from the position at which the seal may be engaged with both elements, in a direction to increase the distance between said features; and means preventing its rotation in the opposite direction.

3. In a seal-lock, in combination with aseal adapted to be engaged at two points, two elements which receive and engage the seal at such points respectively; one of 'said seal-engaging elements being rotatable, and constructed and supported so as to be rotated automatically by gravity from seal-receiving position to a seal-retaining position; and automatic means for locking it against reverse movement from such seal-retaining position.

4. In a seal-lock, in combination with aseal adapted to be engaged at two points, two elements which engage it at such two points respectively; one of said seal-engaging elements being rotatable, and having a seal-engaging feature, in the form of a hook, located eccentrically with respect to theaxis of rotation, and projecting approximately tangentially with respect toits path of rotation, whereby at its nearest position to the seal-engaging feature of the other element the seall may be engaged with such hook without longitudinal movement of the seal, and rotation of such rotatable element through less than ninety degrees causes the hook to extend away from the other seal-engaging feature;

and means for locking said rotatable element against reverse rotation from such position.

5. In a seal-lock, in combination with the casing, a seal-engaging element journaled therein; a dog which prevents rotation of said element except in seal-rupturing direction, such dog consisting of a plurality of plates each operating as an independent dog.

6. In a seal-lock, in combination with the casing, a seal-engaging element journaled therein, and a plurality of independently-operating dogs engaging such journaled element to prevent its rotation away from seal-retainingiposition except in seal-rupturing direc tion.

'7. In a seal-lock, in combination with the IOO IIO

casing, a seal-engaging element journaled therein, and a plurality of independently-op-V erating dogs engaging such journaled element to prevent its rotation away from seal-retaining position except in seal-rupturing direction, one of said dogs being arranged to engage said element a little before the remain# der of the dogs engage it.

8. In a seal-lock, in combination with they casing, a seal-engaging element journaled therein; a dog which prevents rotation of such element except in seal-rupturing direction; such dog consisting of a' plurality of plates, all mounted on the same pivot and each 0p-r erating as an independent dog, one ofsaid IZO to rupture the seal; a dog engaging such journaled element to prevent its rotation away from seal-engaging position except in sealrupturing direction; and a steel lining lodged within the easing encompassing such dog.

l0. In a seal-lock, in combination with the casing, a seal-engaging element journaled therein, adapted by rotation in one direction to rupture the seal; a dog lodged in the casing engaging such journaled element to prevent its rotation away from seal-engaging position except in seaI-rupturing direction; and

a steel disk lodged in the casing as a lining to the outel end wall, apertured for the journaled element and guarding the dog against attack from the front.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Hastings, Michigan, in the presence of two Witnesses, this 7th day of March, A. D. 1901.

EMIL TYDEN.

In presence of- A. C. BROWN, NORA COOPER. 

